The Dead
by harrypottergleek97
Summary: The dead have been living for 20 years. The cure has been abandoned and the world is in complete chaos. So what happens when Dan Howell meets a guy who tries to kill him when they first meet? Co-write with okieeater. WE DO NOT OWN DAN OR PHIL, JUST THE WRITING WE DID (WE DO A CHAPTER EACH) ALSO THIS IS BOYXBOY, DO NOT LIKE? DO NOT READ! T FOR ZOMBIES OBVIOUSLY
1. Chapter 1

Another Co-write :3 this time its with harrypottergleek97! She will update on Thursdays, enjoy!

They said it was just another disease they could cure. They said the quarantine sectors were secure. They said they had it under control. They were wrong.

20 years on, numbers were dwindling. The researchers had abandoned their project, and the human race hid for their lives. It didn't do good, though, they could smell you, smell your flesh, hear you from distances that hadn't been measured. They were attracted by noise, there was nowhere to hide anymore. All you could do was run, and hope they couldn't catch you. Camps were only safe for a few days, then you'd be on the run again, trying to survive, and kill as many as you could. Its the way his life had been for as long as Dan could remember.

He had been two when it happened. There was an explosion at a research facility, many people lost their lives, but the diseases that had been stored in that facility had joined, and spread. No one knows how far, but it took out over half of England. Everyone died, and at first, they thought it was just a mass devastation, that those people had simply died. They were wrong. People started coming back. Those people started eating other people. Immediately, Britain was put on lock down, for fear of it spreading. It was too late, though. The dead found their way into aeroplane bathrooms, and basically any other place they really shouldn't have gotten. America was the first to stop accepting landing planes from anywhere, but they couldn't send back the ones that were already coming, full of the dead.

Soon, every continent and country was on lock down, though it did nothing. Everyone thought China was the safest place for a while, but with people illegally passing into it every day, the dead were bound to find a way in. Dan remembered when he turned three, and there had been no electricity for months. One of _them_ had gotten his brother while they were showering. They had finally found a place that ran on solar power, and had a hot shower after the longest time. His big brother threw Dan his old army necklace, and he was told to run. So, Dan did. He was so young back then. He was glad that soon enough, he was found by Norm, a 52 year old man with a shot gun. He was given clothes, and a small amount of food. He was grateful.

After that, Norm practically raised him. Showed him how to use a shot gun and a knife to hunt. He even gave him some of his fish bones to chew on when he was in a good mood. Sometimes, there was even a little bit of fish left on them. Dan appreciated Norm, respected him like he was his own father, who died within the first week of the dead coming back to life. He missed his brother a lot, and cried when he was alone, but eventually, he got over it, and at the age of 22, Dan still wore his brother's old army necklace. It was the most important thing to him.

"Stop staring off into space, there's dead walking all over this place, I can smell it." Norm growled quietly, gently hitting the boy up the back of his head and making him roll his eyes as he was brought back to the task at hand. Scavenging. His job was to find whatever could be useful, and throw it in his old rucksack. Most things were out of date by that point, and there really wasn't a lot left from previous scavengers, so Dan's rucksack was practically empty. He was in an old warehouse, looking through all the boxes that had been abandoned. Most of the boxes were already empty, but Dan soon found a small back room which seemed to be untouched, there were a few boxes that he opened, most of the items inside were expired, like everything else.

But then there were things like toilet paper, unopened soap, regular toiletries, that didn't expire. In another box there was kitchen things, bowls, plates, knives. God, Dan was so happy to have found knives. The blade he'd been using had been going dull, and brand new butcher knives? Dan eagerly started placing the in his rucksack, sure to put their covers on them first so they didn't make a hole in his precious bag. He'd had his rucksack for years, and it had saved his from getting bitten many times. That's why he always saved things like spare material, or needles and string. His rucksack was mostly patched by that point.

"Don't move a single muscle or I will slice your neck and leave you for the dead to find." A voice growled in his ear, making Dan freeze as a blade was pressed against his throat. He swallowed thickly, nervous and itching to grab a knife. But, of course, he couldn't move, as this guy (it was definitely a guy) had threatened his life if he did. His breathing picked up as he stared ahead of himself, trying to fight the urge to grab a knife and stick in this guy's temple. "What are you doing here? This is my place. You were gonna kill me, weren't you? You were gonna kill me, then steal everything! Weren't you?" The guy asked, a crazy hint in his voice, and Dan could hear he was from the North. The accent had faded slightly, but it was still pretty clear. "Answer me!"

"No! No, I wouldn't kill another human! I-I didn't know someone lived here, I swear! I swear! I was just-just scavenging! I just wanted to survive! Please! I only kill the dead!" Dan begged, feeling his legs go all wobbly. Normally, he wouldn't beg like this, but there was a knife at his throat, and he couldn't defend himself. He was used to doing anything to survive, so this was nothing out of the ordinary for him. "L-look, my name's Dan, Dan Howell. I'm a friend, I swear!"

"You... You... How do I know you're not lying?" The guy asked, and Dan could tell by the tone of his voice, and the fact the blade wasn't pressing as hard against his skin, that he was calming down. He really should know better. Dan hadn't come to kill him, sure, but what if others had? It was a risky move, but Dan couldn't complain. He was glad the guy was so compassionate, because it meant he could leave there with his life.

"I don't know, okay? You just gotta trust me! Besides, wouldn't I kill you before I started taking the stuff? Seriously, if I knew you lived here then it would be a stupid move to just take stuff first, because then I'd end up in the position I'm in right now!" Dan reasoned, still swallowing nervously because this guy's knife was still pressed against his skin. Just one swipe and it'd be over. The dead would come running. "And-and besides, if you kill me, then you know the dead will come! You wouldn't be able to live here anymore and it'd al be a waste, wouldn't it?" He asked quickly, trying to talk this guy down before Norm came. He would probably just make everything worse.

"I... I guess you're right... But don't try anything funny, I still have a knife, you know!" The guy said, and Dan sighed in relief as the blade was taken away slowly. He brought his shaking hands to rub his neck,shuddering. It had been so bad because Dan's neck was sensitive, and he just couldn't stop running his hands over it, to soothe the skin. He slowly turned to face the guy, breathing in and out shakily.

"T-Thank you..." Dan whispered, shaking his head to try and calm himself down. "Really. You can't trust people these days, I... You could have killed me, but you didn't. I appreciate that, even though it was a stupid move." He said quietly, still running his hands over his neck as his brown eyes connected with icy blue ones. Dan realised that the person who had attacked him, wasn't much older than him. He was an attractive guy, with dark hair and pale skin that had been dirtied through years without proper bathing. Still though, he didn't smell as bad as the dead, and Dan couldn't really choose anymore. He looked like a decent guy. Well, decent enough. Sure, he'd almost killed Dan, but most other people would have actually done it, or at least cut him up a little. This guy just looked scared, and Dan could relate to that. They were all just scared prey now, waiting for the inevitable. Waiting for the dead to find them, to kill them, tear their flesh from their bodies while they still breathe, while they scream in agony. "I just mean that if it were anyone else, they'd kill you..."

"You're welcome, I guess..." The guy mumbled slowly, still keeping his knife at the ready as he stared Dan down, making the brunette shiver a little. Those eyes were intimidating, especially in the dark of that small room. "I'm Phil, by the way..." 'Phil' said quietly, sighing as he bit his lip and slowly lowered his knife after seeing Dan wasn't going to try anything. "You here alone? You look pretty young... Must have spent your whole life in this damn war with the dead."

"I'm not _that_ young" Dan said hotly, blushing a little. It was true, though. He couldn't remember anything before the Apocalypse. "An no, I'm not here alone. My friend, his name's Norm, is in the other room, looking for the dead. Don't worry though, he's old. He won't hurt you unless you hurt me, or something like that. I'm kind of like his son. He... He raised me, ever since I lost my brother..." He said quietly, slowly sitting down on a box and sighing. He didn't know why he was telling this 'Phil' guy his history, he just felt it was necessary.

"I know what you mean. I used to have a guy like him as well... He got old though, got slow. He asked me to... To put him down before the dead did it for me..." Phil said quietly, and Dan watched him as he sighed as well and followed suit by sitting down on another box. He would have felt sorry for the guy if there wasn't millions, no, _billions_ of other sob stories worse than his. Really, their world was just decaying around them.

"I guess the world will never really be normal again..." Dan said quietly, frowning at the ground for a moment. "I... I should be going now, though. Norm will be getting worried." He sighed, standing up and rubbing at his neck one last time.

"No! Wait! I... I haven't seen another human for a while... You... You're free to stay, so long as you don't steal and run away, or kill me in my sleep..." Phil said quickly, making Dan bite his lip and turn back to face the boy. It was a tempting offer, really. But not even five minutes ago, the guy was holding a knife to his throat!

"I... I don't know... I'd have to check with Norm. We wouldn't kill you or anything, but... I don't know if we can trust _you_ maybe this was all just an act?" Dan asked suspiciously, moving to grab the door handle as he watched Phil carefully. He looked lonely, sad, scared, but that was what everyone alive looked like. Alone, running from death, tired. This life made everyone look ten years older. Dan couldn't help but wonder if that made Phil young or not.

"You'll just have to see, won't you?" Phil asked, a small, tired smile gracing his lips, making Dan bite his lip again. They did need a place to stay, and Phil seemed genuine, at least to him. He'd check with Norm, in any case.

"I guess we will..."


	2. Chapter 2

**So, Hi guy's. Harrypotter gleek97 here! :D Erm, I don't have much to say that Mrs. Cookieeater hasn't already said. Sorry this chapter is so short; I'm drowning in school work! I'll try and make them a lot longer in the future. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! **

Dan sidled out the room, swallowing nervously as he made his way to where he had left Norm. He walked quietly. Even if Phil seemed to have been living here for a while, that didn't mean they were safe. He was always aware of the danger surrounding him. The danger that had become his world. He entered the wide expanse of the room, glancing around. Norm was nowhere to be seen. There was nowhere to hide, the room was completely bare. Where the hell could he be? Dan turned quickly, wincing at the faint creak of the floorboards. He froze for a moment and then left the room. He wandered down the corridor, poking his head into rooms, holding his breath as the panicked thoughts began to run through his head.

What if the dead had caught him? No. He would have heard them. He would have heard Norm as they… No. But where could he be? He wouldn't leave without Dan, would he? He heard another creak, this time not caused by him. He snapped his neck to the side, a sharp intake of breath. Norm was approaching a room. The one Phil was hidden in.

"Norm" he hissed quickly, before clamping his hand over his mouth. Norms head turned slowly, his eyebrows furrowed. Dan motioned for him to wait, and he crept slowly towards him. Then, with a quick nod towards the door and a lowly muttered "don't", Dan lead him back to the large and eerily empty room. When they were there, Norm raised his eyes questioningly, and Dan's shoulder relaxed slightly. "There are only two exits here" he muttered "Easier to keep a look out". Of course, Norm knew this. He had taught Dan everything he knew about survival. Dan just didn't want Norm running into Phil before he had the chance to explain. Norm wasn't exactly the most trusting of people, and who could blame him? A lot of the time, trust got you killed.

Norm was staring at him, his eyes piercing right through Dan. He rubbed his thumb along the rough material of his shirt and asked quickly "What were you doing? I came back and you weren't here!". Norm sniggered quietly before replying "Looking for you. What took you so bloody long?". Dan shook his head, wondering how he was going to explain. How was he going to convince Norm to trust some random stranger, to stay with them? He'd think he was crazy. Maybe he was. Why else would he feel such a strong need, feel like it was so important to convince him?

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment before mumbling "I think we've caught a break." Norm raised an eyebrow, interested, before motioning to his nearly empty backpack. "Doesn't look like you got much there" he commented, confusion tinging his voice. Dan shook his head, and heart pounding, the words tumbled out his mouth. "There's a man here. He says we can stay." Norm walked quickly away, and paused at the doorway, a deep frown on his face. He tilted his head outside before hissing "Out. Now."

Dan stumbled a few steps, before stopping. He took a shallow, ragged breath before telling him "He's around my age, and he's alone. I think we can trust him." Norm tilted his head inquisitively before asking "why?" Dan shrugged his shoulders, and Norm chuckled. "Exactly! I thought I'd taught you better. Where does trusting every Tom, Dick and Harry you meet get you? In a shallow grave, that's where. Or in the middle of a barren wasteland, being devoured by vultures." Dan winced at the mental image that both of them had seen too many times. No shallow grave, not when there was no-one round to bury you.

"His names Phil. He's just scared, like the rest of us. He could have killed me"-"Norm interrupted him quickly. "I hope you didn't give him the opportunity!" he scolded. Dan's eyes fell to the floor, and when he looked back up, Norm was stood in front of him. "For god's sake boy!" he growled, eyes flashing. He opened his mouth to continue speaking, but Dan continued voice slightly louder "He could have killed me, but he didn't! I think that should stand for something." Norm shook his head, exasperated an d reminded him "Not when he would know the slightest hint of blood would bring about his own death!". Dan sighed, and they both fell silent for a minute. Eventually, he spoke again. "Well, I'm staying" he muttered, not meeting Norm's eyes. His mind screamed at him. Why would he leave the man that had kept him alive all these years, prepared him to be able to go out on his own, all for some stranger? What was wrong with him?

After a few minutes of shocked silence, Norm rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine." Dan opened his mouth, but Norm continued quickly. "I'll consider it. We can stay with him for a while at least, but the minute I say it, we're gone." Dan nodded slowly, knowing that was the best he was going to get. He turned around slowly without another word, and started leading him back to the room, a smile spreading across his face. He heard Norm mutter "You'll be the death of me boy" and he chuckled slightly before replying "Probably".


	3. Chapter 3

When they went back into the room Phil was in, Dan could tell Norm was very wary and suspicious. It was natural for him to be, of course, but it still made Dan tense up as Norm and Phil's eyes connected. Norm's suspicion seemed to fade a little, while Phil's climbed. After all, Phil was weak, scrawny, and he looked battered, while Norm was gruff, and all muscle. He towered over them both, and had the scariest mean look Dan had ever seen. He feared Norm more than the dead, so really, he was quite surprised that Phil wasn't more suspicious of him. Maybe he really was an idiot.

"Phil, this is Norm, Norm this is Phil." Dan introduced, feeling quite nervous as he watched the two eye each other up, looking for a threat. Luckily, after a while, Norm smiled and clapped Dan on the back.

"You did good kid." Norm's gruff voice filled the room, making Dan sigh in relief. That was easier than he thought. Norm was really good at judging characters, if Phil was planning something, he'd know almost instantly. Phil would be dead in seconds, and they'd be running for their lives from the dead that would come running at the slightest smell of blood. Luckily, Phil was at least mildly trustworthy, like Dan had thought. They could probably stay a few nights before Norm got a little jumpy. They'd be out of there in a flash, if Norm said so. Dan didn't want to leave Phil, since he was the first person both he and Norm had trusted to spend a night with, but Norm was like his dad. Plus, the man would leave without Dan if it came to it. Dan had always been aware of that fact.

Norm really was a stereotypical old man, set in his ways. He rarely showed emotion, and that was where Dan got the trait from. Even though the man wasn't his real father, it certainly felt like it at times. "So... We can stay?" Dan asked both of them, his eyes flickering from Phil to Norm, then back again, his eyes lingering on the boy. There was just something about him really, something that excited Dan, made him want to be closer, get to know him. It was ridiculous, but he'd never experienced this 'love' that people had been so obsessed with before the Apocalypse. It was normal, right? Phil was attractive, and Dan had never really known any other survivors. Growing up with Norm had meant he was more inclined towards boys anyway, since he'd never known a girl. It didn't really matter though, did it? They were in an Apocalypse. Nobody had the right to judge him.

"Sure." Phil shrugged, at the same time Norm nodded his head. The man wasn't much for talk, really. He was more the type to keep quiet, and get on with things. A silent killer, just like he'd trained Dan to be. Dan was about to smile and ask where they were going to sleep, but was interrupted by a load groan, and scratching at the door. The dead. Dan instantly reached into his rucksack and grabbed a knife. He took the guard off quickly and took a low stance. He looked around him to find Norm and Phil in basically the same position.

Norm pressed a finger to his lips, then pointed to the door, signalling to Dan. The brunette instantly nodded and remained silent. It sounded like one, so it should be easy to kill, but Dan couldn't know for sure whether there was more hanging around or not. All he could do was open the door and hope it was just the one, or else they'd be screwed. So, he did just that. He quickly threw open the door and shoved his knife straight into the monster's temple. It struggled for a little bit, which was normal, but Dan quickly turned it around so the monster couldn't sink its teeth into Dan's flesh.

"You know, that's a rather slow way of killing them..." Phil said quietly, walking up to Dan and the struggling monster. "It can take a few minutes for it to die like that, and what's that gonna do in a horde? You'd be dead in seconds..." He commented, quickly taking out his knife, and moving Dan away a little. " If you shove it up here;" He said, just as he drove the knife into the back of the monsters neck, straight upwards, into the brain. "It kills them instantaneously." He was right. The monster was limp in Dan's arms,and he quickly dropped it with a soft grunt. He hated being told what to do, but he had to play sucked.

"Whatever. Like I don't know how to kill them properly..." Dan huffed, glaring at the dead monster. After this, that thing wouldn't come back. Its how it usually was. As long as the brain wasn't destroyed, the dead would rise. Though, these 'zombies' weren't like the films Dan heard about. The dead could run like a normal human, as long as their legs worked properly, and some were even faster. The dead didn't eat brains, they ate flesh, any flesh. Their eyesight was bad, but it was made up for by their advanced hearing and smell. That's how so many people ended up dead. They were fast, hard to lose, and would only die if their brain was destroyed, unlike humans, which could die in any number of ways. Dan once saw one of the dead with its head twisted around the wrong way, still walking. It shouldn't have been possible, but it was, and it was gruesome. Though it was pretty harmless, since it could only walk backwards.

Phil shrugged, and actually looked a little sheepish. It was like he hadn't realised he'd be hurting Dan by correcting his technique. And Dan wasn't really hurt. But, he was a sore loser, and he had wanted to impress Phil. Which he clearly hadn't done. "I'll go take point..." Dan mumbled sourly, glaring as Norm gave him a knowing smirk. Stupid Phil, stupid Norm, stupid Apocalypse! He just wished he could be normal.

But then again, he thought as he checked through the warehouse, what sort of normal was left?

Haha. Only like 20 minutes late this time ;D (lol jokes its not going to be up by then, is it?) Anyways. I'm sticking to my schedule through tough times, and hopefully I can put up a oneshot in the next few days, who knows?

In other news, I got a job! :D Granted, its McDonald's, but, you know, its a start :) They're gonna train me for coffee on Thursday so I should be starting soon. For those of you who don't know (which is all of you omg) I'm about to be home-schooled, so between work and home-school I might not finish writing on certain days, but I guarantee it will be updated! (hopefully)

Anyways I just wanted to share that with you guys cus my fans are like family ^-^ I feel close to you all, even if I've never talked to you before.

OH and I also wanted to thank you guys for your nice messages about my break up. It made me feel better. :) Me and my ex are talking now so hopefully we can remain friends (I actually believe with all my heart that that can happen. After all, I have an ex-boyfriend and we're really, really close friends now. Its not awkward at all, seriously)

As always,

Remember to R&R, Follow if you want more, and Favourite if you enjoyed this fic!


	4. Chapter 4

Dan and Phil were making their way quietly back to 'their room', Phil trailing his fingers slowly along the wall. When they reached the door, the corpse was no longer there. "Norm must be getting rid of it" Dan murmured, before walking into the room. He glanced around the room, and turned to see Phil stood awkwardly in the door way, staring at him. Dan laughed awkwardly before reminding him "It's your…area you know? You can make yourself at home." Phil jumped slightly, and nodded, face flushed. He busied himself, looking through the boxes, and Dan watched him and tried to hide his amusement. After a few seconds Phil turned around and chucked something at Dan, which he attempted to catch one handed. Of course, he failed. For someone who had lost track of the number of dead he had killed, he was pretty uncoordinated.

He bent over and scooped the piece fabric from the floor quickly, glancing back up at Phil quickly. Their eyes caught, and Dan struggled to pull them away. He looked at the piece of fabric for a moment, before hearing Phil chuckle. "It's to clean your knife" he said, and Dan ducked his head, not wanting Phil to see the heat flooding his face. "Thanks" he murmured, before realising he would have to look up. He hated looking at the lumpy; tar like substances that he knew would coat his knife. He had looked at it once, and he didn't want to repeat the experience. He cleared his throat before staring into a corner as he cleaned his blade. He heard Phil's voice again, more quietly this time. "If you blush much more the dead might smell it" he joked, and Dan retorted quickly "Like I'm the only one whose blushing!". He laughed, trying to make it clear that he hadn't meant it. He had spent most of his life with Norm, and he was used to their snappy way of talking to each other. He had never really had the chance to 'socialise', considering most of the human population wanted to tear away his flesh. He glanced over at Phil, who stuck his tongue out at him teasingly. Dan grinned and mimicked him.

Norm walked in, wiping his hands on his top. He glanced over at them, and raised an eyebrow questioningly before shaking his head. Phil broke the silence after a few minutes by asking "You guys hungry? I have a food store further in the warehouse." Before they could answer he turned to leave, and Dan managed to grab his forearm. "You sure you should go on your own?" he asked, not thinking to conceal the worry in his voice. Phil nodded quickly, replying "I can kill the dead you know!". He grinned before continuing "Anyway, the place is empty." After a few seconds Dan nodded and released his arm. Phil left the room quickly, and Dan turned to face Norm.

Before he could say anything, Dan muttered "Shut up" and Norm just grinned in response. After a few minutes Phil was back, carrying three bread rolls and a single packet of crisps. He held them up triumphantly and told them "I found them behind some empty jars!". Dan grinned at him, and they all sat down in the centre of the room. Phil handed them both a roll, and opened the crisps, eyes glinting at the hiss of the escaping air. Dan started to pick at the bread, placing small pieces in his mouth, and Phil frowned at him. Dan looked at him questioningly, and in response Phil took the roll gently from him. He ripped it open, and slid a few crisps in before sandwiching the bread back together. He handed it back to him, grinning. Dan studied it for a few moments, and Phil finally said "you've really never had a crisp sandwich." Dan nodded his head, and before either of them could say anything else he closed his eyes and bit into it.

The satisfying crunch seemed to echo through the room, and the saltiness of crisps made his mouth water. He slowly opened his eyes, and Phil told him "it's better with butter, but I doubt there's any of that left in the whole damn world." Dan swallowed and exclaimed "That's amazing!". Norm chuckled and nudged him before joking "Better the fish bones, eh boy!".

Dan's eyes fluttered open, and he could already tell he should have woken up hours ago. He wanted to drift back into the warm world of sleep, wrap his duvet around him. Except it wasn't a duvet. That was too heavy to carry around. He was wrapped in a thin, threadbare blanket that his two your old self had dragged behind him that first time he'd had to run. He sighed, and pulled his rucksack towards him, slinging it over his back.

Norm had sworn to wake Dan up for his turn to watch after a few hours, but he hadn't . Dan wasn't surprised. He knew from experience that Norm would rather let him get a few extra hours sleep and be ready to run at any time. He would only wake Dan up when he worried he was going to fall asleep while watching. Dan made his way quietly round a pile of boxes, and he saw the frozen figure of Norm sat in the doorway. He coughed, not wanting to make the old man jump and attack him. He'd learnt that from past experience to. Norm spun around and growled "Goddammit boy, you move quieter every day." Dan sighed again and mumbled "Go to sleep Norm." The old man looked him up and down, and Dan automatically stood up a little straighter. Eventually he shrugged his shoulders and stood up slowly. Dan could imagine his bones creaking with age. He shook the thoughts out of his head.

"Fine" Norm mumbled, before disappearing into a corner. Dan settled himself down in the same position as Norm, his eyes rhythmically scanning up and down the corridor outside, his ears straining to hear anything approaching. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but eventually he heard something. It was a muffled whining, punctuated by rough gagging noises. Dan's ears strained to hear where the noise was coming from, and realised that it was coming from behind a large pile of boxes towards the back of the room. He stood up slowly, and started to approach the pile, the noises slowing. Just as he was reaching the pile, Phil appeared from behind it. Dan turned quickly and walked back to the doorway, sitting down again. After a few seconds of silence, Dan heard muffled footsteps and felt Phil sit down next to him. He glanced over at him quickly, and then returned to scanning the corridor.

After a few minutes Phil asked quietly "Isn't it my time to watch?" Dan nodded his head. "Probably, but Norm's never one to stick to schedules. I don't think I've been watching that long. You can go back to sleep if you want." He glanced over at Phil again, and saw him shake his head. Phil asked curiously "Where'd you get the necklace?" before meeting Dan's eyes. Dan didn't know what he saw there, but he quickly said "You don't have to tell me. You know, if you don't want to." Dan took a deep breath before saying "my brother". He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal, but his fingers had started to tremble. Phil nodded, not asking anymore.

After a while, Phil spoke quietly into the corridor, not looking at Dan. "I can't imagine what that must have been like. I guess I was lucky in a sense. I never got to escape with my family, or anyone close to me. Didn't have to see anyone close to me die until I was a lot older. My mum and dad worked at the research facility, the one that exploded. When I woke up that morning, they had left a note, saying they had to go to work early." Dan was staring at his face in awe, and saw the first tear trail quickly down his cheek from his already red rimmed eyes. Dan realised that was what he had heard earlier. This hadn't been the first time Phil had cried that night. "I was so happy. I was going to watch TV, eat loads of chocolate, invite my friends over for the day and try and watch some horror films or something. Then I saw it on the TV. Didn't realise it was the same facility they worked at. Everything started going crazy outside. I heard my neighbours screaming, so I ran up to my room. I looked out the window, saw the people running and screaming. My best friend lived at the bottom of my street, and I think I caught a glimpse of him being pulled through the crowd by his mum. Heard him screaming as he fell. He was trampled. Maybe I just imagined it. I hid in my toy box for ages, waiting, but they never came back. Eventually I had to run." They both fell silent, and eventually Phil whispered even more quietly "Sorry." Dan shook his head and replied "I'm sorry." He reached out slowly, not sure what he was doing. He took Phil's hand in his and squeezed it gently. A warm tingly feeling spread quickly from his hand through his body, and he find himself grinning into the darkness.

**Now everybody awwwwww! :P So yeah, hope you guys enjoy the chapter, it's longer this time! Mainly because I'm off school today because I'm suffering from one of my famous drive-me-to-hospital-migraines! As always, the super awesome should be updating Monday, I'm looking forward to it! :D –Harrypottergleek97**


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